THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 46, NO. 5 | SEPTEMBER 6, 2024
LEAVEN PHOTO BY MARC ANDERSON
Father Ratna Swamy Nannam, MSFS, pastor of Holy Family Parish in Alma and Sacred Heart Parish in Paxico, prays the words of the Eucharistic Prayer as Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann looks on. The archbishop celebrated the 10:30 a.m. Mass on Aug. 25 as part of festivities commemorating the parish’s 150th anniversary.
Holy Family Parish in Alma celebrates milestone By Marc and Julie Anderson mjanderson@theleaven.org
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LMA — There were 780 separate parts to the gift presented to Holy Family Parish here to mark the parish’s 150th anniversa-
ry. But it was when the separate parts — inscribed with the names of all the families of the parish — were pieced together into one that the quilt could be displayed for all to enjoy. Representing both the history and the future of the Alma parish, the quilt was put on permanent display in the parish hall just one week prior to the anniversary Mass celebrated Aug. 25 by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann with the assistance of the parish’s pastor, Father Ratna Swamy Nannam, MSFS. A luncheon for nearly 175 followed. The quilt was the idea of cousins Jan Brown and Mary Gehrt. One of them saw something similar in a magazine last spring. So, with the help of the parish Altar Society, among others, they set to work. From threading needles to cutting fabric pieces, girls as young as 7 to women in their 70s and 80s contributed their time and talents.
LEAVEN PHOTO BY MARC ANDERSON
Parishioner Beulah Herbic and her youngest son Jim view the parish’s anniversary quilt during the luncheon following the anniversary Mass. Consisting of 780 separate quilt pieces, the display quilt was a gift to the parish by the parish Altar Society. The finished wall hanging features the names of 89 family lines. The quilt features the names of 89 families. Although there are nearly 100 families in the parish, some names appear only once because the parish is home to more than one branch or more than one generation of some families.
In his homily, Archbishop Naumann recounted some of the parish’s history, telling of how Father Joseph Rimmele, a Jesuit missionary, raised $400 at a picnic in 1870 to start construction on a stone church. Built in 1874, that first
church cost $5,000. On Aug. 27, 1899, after the first church was destroyed by fire, the cornerstone of the current church was laid. The $8,000 church was dedicated in December. “Anniversaries are times to think about the past and give thanks for those who have gone before us,” the archbishop reminded the gathered parishioners. “And to recall all of the things that have happened in this sacred place.” He encouraged current parishioners to live their Catholic faith with joy, so as to attract others to the Gospel message. “Early on in my time here in the archdiocese, we were doing some pastoral planning,” recalled Archbishop Naumann. “We were doing it by regions, and I remember while we were doing it in this region, there was a delegation from the parish who came to visit me. They were afraid it (the pastoral planning) was going to lead to a closure of this church. “I told them that it wasn’t really our plans, but a way to prevent that would be to keep the community vibrant and growing. That would make it difficult for any bishop to close it.” >> See “GOD” on page 4